Skip it, or accept a thin one, and the risks surface later. A site with poor grid access, land issues or flood risk gets discovered after money is spent. A cost model that ignores firming or curtailment overstates returns. A project that looked certain stalls at financing, and the time lost cannot be recovered.
Feasibility From a Team That Builds the Plants
We know you want an honest answer, even if it is not the one you hoped for. USP&E has delivered 150+ power projects in 45+ countries, with 25,000 MW contracted since 2002, including hybrid plants that combine solar with engines, turbines and storage. Our systems are ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certified. USP&E is a full-service EPC and O&M contractor, not a broker.
Because we design, build and run plants, our feasibility work is grounded in what it really takes to deliver them.
Define What the Solar Farm Must Do
Start with the purpose. Will the plant supply your own site, sell to a utility, or both? How much energy does it need to deliver, at what times, and to whom? A mine that needs firm power around the clock has very different needs from a utility-scale plant that sells daytime energy.
Write down your goals and limits: target capacity, budget range, schedule, business model and any requirements from lenders or partners. These become the yardstick against which every option is measured.
Screen the Site and Measure the Sun
Site screening looks at land area and slope, land rights, environmental and social constraints, access roads, flood risk and distance to the grid or the load. Several candidate sites are often screened before one is chosen.
The solar resource study estimates how much energy the site can produce. Satellite data and long-term weather records give a first estimate. For larger projects, on-site measurement adds confidence. The study should give expected annual output and a range, so you can see the downside as well as the base case.
Technology choices follow: fixed or tracking structures, module type, inverter layout and whether to add storage.
Study the Grid and the Need for Firming
Grid connection is often the deciding factor. The study should check available capacity, the voltage level, connection costs, the time to connect and any limits on how much power can be exported. Curtailment risk, where the grid cannot always take your output, can change the economics.
For sites that need power around the clock, solar alone is not enough. The study should test firming options such as batteries, engines and turbines. Hybrid plants often pair solar with natural gas engines/stations, gas turbine generators or used/new gas turbines, and some use a remanufactured GE Frame 6B. A public example is our hybrid power plant for mining. The same pairing shapes compute campuses, where hyperscale EPC/O&M teams combine solar with AI gas turbines, hyperscale generators and gas turbines for compute, and USP&E offers the New USP&E FX-45 45MW Modular Gas Turbine for the Hyperscale Data Center sector in the USA.
Build the Cost Model and Make the Call
The cost model brings everything together: capital cost, operating costs, financing, energy output, tariffs or savings and the project life. It should show the cost of energy and the returns under several scenarios. The power plant cost per MW guide is a useful reference for the firming part of a hybrid plant.
List the main risks and how each could be reduced: resource, grid, land, permits, construction, prices and currency. Then decide: proceed to design and permits, change the concept, or stop. A good feasibility study makes that decision clear. If firming equipment is part of the answer, you can check equipment currently in stock.
Global Offices Behind Your Renewable EPC Programme
Your team wants answers in its own time zone. USP&E’s offices in Colorado Springs (1755 Telstar Dr, Suite 300) and Knoxville (800 S Gay St, Suite 700) lead your renewable EPC firming BOP conversations in the US, from the first data request to the site visit, so questions about fuel, interconnection and delivery are answered by people who can be on site.
The wider network carries the heavy lifting for PV and BESS interfaces, GT firming blocks and substations: London (162-168 Regent Street) for structuring and finance, Johannesburg (22 Kildoon Rd, Bryanston) for engineering and project controls, Cape Town (31 Brickfield Road, Woodstock) for design and commissioning support, and Wuxi, China (No. 1, Ningzhou Road, Wuxi) for China supply chain and manufacturing.
For solar feasibility studies, Johannesburg and Cape Town engineers assess sites across Africa, while London supports financing and Colorado Springs and Knoxville support US projects. Regions served: USA | AFRICA | UK | UAE | CHINA. USP&E’s reach covers 150+ power projects in 45+ countries and 25,000 MW contracted since 2002, and the company is ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certified.
Proof from Recent Renewable EPC Projects
You want to see that USP&E has built hybrid and renewable plants, not just studied them. These projects show that record.
- USP&E has refurbished seven GE Frame 6B gas turbines to zero hours in-house for major US hyperscale data-centre developers.
- A giga-project developer in the Middle East: USP&E supplied three zero-hour Siemens SGT-400 gas turbines as the single technical and commercial interface.
- A gold mine in North-West Africa: USP&E supplied and installed a Caterpillar backup power station of low-hour Cat 3516B gensets with new switchgear, on time and on budget. Read the case study.
How to Run a Solar Farm Feasibility Study
Your 3-step plan: 1. Share your goals, candidate sites and load or offtake details. 2. Receive a feasibility study with options, costs and risks. 3. Move to design and build with one EPC team.
- Define what the solar farm must deliver and for whom.
- Screen sites for land, sun and grid access.
- Measure or model the solar resource.
- Study the grid connection and any firming needs.
- Build the cost model and risk register.
- Decide whether to move to design and permits.
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FAQ: Solar Farm Feasibility Study: What It Covers
What does a solar farm feasibility study include?
USP&E includes project goals, site screening, the solar resource, technology options, grid connection, firming needs, a cost model and a risk register. The study ends with a clear recommendation to proceed, change the concept or stop, based on the evidence gathered.
How is the solar resource assessed?
USP&E uses satellite data and long-term weather records for a first estimate, and on-site measurement for larger projects. The study gives expected annual output and a range, so you can see the downside case as well as the most likely result.
Why does grid connection matter so much?
USP&E often finds grid connection decides a project. Available capacity, voltage, connection cost, time to connect and export limits all affect the economics. Curtailment risk, when the grid cannot take your output, can reduce your returns significantly, so it must be tested in the model.
Does a solar farm need firming power?
USP&E recommends firming for any site that needs power around the clock. Batteries, engines and gas turbines can fill gaps when the sun is down or clouds pass. The feasibility study should test which mix gives the lowest cost and risk for your load.
Which USP&E offices support solar feasibility work?
USP&E prepares African feasibility studies in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and London supports lender and contract questions. Studies for American sites draw on Colorado Springs and Knoxville, and Wuxi helps when modules, inverters or other equipment come from China. Each study is therefore written close to the market it covers.
What hybrid projects has USP&E delivered?
USP&E has delivered 150+ power projects in 45+ countries, including hybrid plants for mining. One public case study covers a mining hybrid plant; another public job tied the controls of two different engine makes together at a single mine, so both ran as one plant.
Is USP&E a broker for solar projects?
USP&E is not a broker. USP&E carries a project from study through design, construction and operation with in-house engineers, so your feasibility report is written by people who would have to build what it recommends. You get findings shaped by build experience.
How soon can USP&E start a feasibility study?
USP&E can begin scoping a study as soon as you share your goals, candidate sites and load or offtake details. Engineers agree the scope and data needed first, so the study answers the questions your board or lenders will ask.
Know Before You Build
Run a proper feasibility study and you build the right solar farm, on the right site, with your eyes open. Skip it and the surprises arrive after the money is spent. USP&E will help you study, design and deliver with confidence.
Start now: send your load, site and fuel data through the contact page, phone +27 10 822 2324 or write to info@uspeglobal.com, and search current USP&E inventory while the team scopes your renewable EPC firming BOP.
Powering Possibility. Built for the Frontier.